


body swap shenanigans

by flowersandsunshine



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Body Swap, F/M, Fluff, Gabriel Agreste's A+ Parenting, Humor, Identity Reveal, Post-Reveal Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Shenanigans, Social Media AU, a lot of other characters from the show, confusing amount of gendered terms, hopefully lmao i don't usually write humor so we'll see, miracuclass
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-15
Updated: 2020-03-15
Packaged: 2021-02-24 17:02:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21801382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flowersandsunshine/pseuds/flowersandsunshine
Summary: hawkmoth created an akuma that body swaps everyone in paris with the last person they kissed. naturally, chaos ensues, especially for our two heroes.ON HIATUS (i'm so sorry omg)
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe
Comments: 114
Kudos: 749





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> heavily based on a tumblr post i saw and didn't reblog and is now lost to the void

“Marinette, wake up!” 

Adrien stirred in his bed and yawned, stretching slightly as he sat up. Rubbing his eyes, he opened them sleepily, rolling his head around to loosen his neck. 

And he promptly fell out of the bed. 

“Wha—where am I?” he asked out loud, staring at the small stairwell that led down into a room he recognized but couldn’t place at the moment. 

And he frowned. “What?” he said, testing out the sound of his voice. 

Yup. Definitely a feminine voice. 

Adrien looked down at his hands and frowned even deeper. “These look like…”

“Marinette!” the voice that woke him up came floating up the stairs again. “Please come downstairs! We need to discuss something.” 

In a daze, Adrien stood up and climbed down what he now recognized as Marinette’s ladder. Reaching the floor of her bedroom, he gazed at a picture of himself, soaring through the air with a huge grin on his face. With a sigh, he turned around and went downstairs. 

“Hi,” he said, lifting a hand in a wave when he came face to face with Tom and Sabine—Marinette’s parents. They would understand, wouldn’t they? Maybe this was a dream. A super weird dream. Yeah, that’s it. It’s a dream. It’s—

“Marinette,” Tom said calmly, his mustache twitching slightly. “Is it Marinette?” 

“You don’t know your own daughter’s name?” Adrien asked, slightly taken aback. 

“Well,” Sabine said, nudging her husband with her elbow, “we weren’t sure, see, since the akuma attack last night changed… people.”

“Akuma?” Adrien asked, his mind blank. 

“You know.” Sabine was definitely trying not to laugh. “The one that made everyone switch bodies with whoever they last kissed. That akuma.”

“Oh.” Adrien didn’t know what else to say.

“So, Marinette,” Tom said, leaning over to get closer to his face, “are you actually Marinette or is our daughter hiding things from us?” 

“No, no,” Adrien said, a lump in his throat as he stared into Tom’s—or was it actually Sabine’s—stern face. “No, it’s me. Marinette.”

“Prove it,” Sabine-as-Tom said. “Tell us something only Marinette would know.” 

“Uh… I really like fashion?” Adrien said, his voice squeaking on the last word. He winced.

Tom-in-Sabine’s-body laughed. “Yeah, okay. Who are you?” 

Adrien was quiet for a moment. 

“Let’s see.” Sabine-in-Tom’s-body tapped her chin, her mustache quivering with barely-restrained laughter. “I have a couple of guesses, but I would have hoped that Marinette would have told me if she had kissed anyone.” She leaned over again, peering into Adrien’s face intently. “Luka?” 

Adrien shook his head. “Oh, gosh, no.”

“Good. I would have lost my bet with Nadia,” Sabine said absentmindedly. “Okay. You’re either Adrien Agreste or Chat Noir. Who are you?” 

Adrien blinked owlishly at her for a moment. “Adrien,” he said, looking down at Marinette’s carefully-painted black toenails. 

“Well,” Tom said cheerfully, rubbing Sabine’s hands together gleefully. “Adrien Agreste. You’ve been kissing our daughter.”

“Uhhh,” Adrien said slowly. “I guess.”

“You guess?” Sabine asked. She looked rather imposing as she crossed her—Tom’s—arms in front of her—Tom’s—chest. 

Adrien swallowed hard as he looked up at her. “Maybe?” 

“A strange answer,” Sabine said slowly. She looked down at him before beaming. “But it’s fine. I win my bet and my daughter has been kissing the boy she’s had a crush on for forever. I guess she finally told you.”

“What—” Adrien said softly as he got swept up in a hug by both of Marinette’s parents. His mind reeled as he took in the affection. 

As far as he knew, he hadn’t been kissing Marinette. Not ever. The only person he had ever kissed was Ladybug, and he didn’t even remember any of those kisses, so he wasn’t sure it counted. So what happened? Did the akuma mess up with him and Marinette, or something? He supposed he could understand—Marinette did look an awful lot like Ladybug, and he was actually Chat Noir, so it was probably just an honest mistake, but still! Surely the akuma could tell them apart better than that. Unless…

Adrien gasped and withdrew himself from their arms. “I have to go to school!” he said, feeling the words trip out of his mouth like they often exploded from Marinette when she was excited or anxious. “Sorry, but thanks for the hug, okaythanksbye!” 

And he was out the door, determined to find Marinette. Or, well, Adrien. Or, well, Adrien’s body. But Marinette’s mind.

Because Marinette Dupain-Cheng was Ladybug. And he could not be more excited about that.

\---

Marinette didn’t know what was happening. She had woken up to the sun streaming through an entire wall of windows, lying in a gigantic bed, faced with a black kwami that she recognized as Plagg, destroyer of worlds. 

Oh, and she was in Adrien’s bed. 

In Adrien’s body, apparently. 

And she really, really had to pee. 

“Plagg?” she asked, sitting up, confused. She rubbed her eyes and ran her hands through her hair. Or, well, Adrien’s hair. “What’s going on?” 

“Akuma,” Plagg said. He was eating goopy cheese slowly, sitting and staring at her with huge green eyes. “Hello, Pigtails.”

“Hi,” she said, feeling grumpy about everything. “What’s the akuma? Body swap with the person you’re desperately in love with?” 

Plagg grinned. “Last person you kissed.”

“Why are you in Adrien’s room?” she asked, choosing to ignore Plagg’s statement for a moment. 

“It’s my room, too,” Plagg said. “And Nathalie will knock on the door in three, two…”

A sharp knock on the door startled Marinette. “Uh, er, Adrien,” came Nathalie’s voice through the door. “It’s time to…wake up.”

“Okay,” Marinette said after a moment’s silence. “I’m up.”

“Good.”

Marinette stared at the door for a moment before looking back at Plagg. He was making a disgusted face. “What?” she asked. 

“Ew,” Plagg said. “I think that was Mr. Agreste in Nathalie’s body.”

Marinette gasped, recoiling slightly. “It was not!” she exclaimed. 

“Nathalie would never sound so unprofessional,” Plagg sniffed. “Old Gabe? He would feel uncomfortable enough to say the word ‘er’, I think.”

Marinette wrinkled her nose and stood up. “I have a problem,” she said. 

“Shoot,” Plagg said, taking another bite of cheese. 

“I have to pee, but it’s… you know. Not my body.” She motioned towards the sleep pants she was currently wearing, which were… red with black polka dots. 

Interesting. 

“So?” Plagg asked, his mouth full. “Just go pee.” 

“Uh… I can’t do that. I would see Adrien’s…” Marinette’s face flushed and she gestured again, her motions a little more intense.

The tiny god shrugged. “Close your eyes.”

Marinette whimpered and went to the bathroom, rushing in and out as quickly as possible before returning to the room. 

Plagg was looking at her with curiosity on his face. “Haven’t figured it out yet, have you, Pigtails?” 

“Oh, I have,” Marinette said, head in the closet as she looked for an outfit for the day. “Trust me. I got it. I’ve only kissed one person before, and you’re in Adrien’s room. I know what’s happening. I’m just choosing not to think about it.”

“Why? Adrien’s not good enough for you?” 

Marinette came back into the room holding a green button-up and dark wash jeans. She frowned as she changed quickly. “What do you mean?” she asked, pulling the pants up her legs. “Adrien is… he’s… he’s everything to me. If anything, I’m not good enough for him.”

“Hmm.” Plagg flew in front of her face, pushing more cheese in his mouth. “Then why not think about it?” 

“Because if I think about it,” Marinette said, pulling off the sleep shirt and putting the button-up on, “I’ll scream. Because I’ll have to consider the fact that the boy I’m in love with has been dressing up in a skintight leather cat suit and running around Paris with me for four years, and I just can’t handle that.” 

Plagg nodded. “Fair enough. Shall we go to school?” 

“Okay,” Marinette said. She glanced in the mirror and ruffled Adrien’s hair. “Should I put product in this mess?” 

“Nah,” Plagg said. “I think it looks better like that, anyway.”

“Me, too,” Marinette said quietly, a soft smile on her face as she stared at Adrien’s reflection. 

“Ugh,” Plagg said, miming throwing up. “Come on, Pigtails. Let’s go.”

Marinette straightened the shirt and nodded. “Let’s go.” 

She was in the foyer before a thought struck her. “Wait. Where are we going?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> alya and nino share what they know.

Group Chat: #NinoNeedsAnInstragram

Alya: why the frick am i a girl right now 

Alya: a very hot girl but a girl nonetheless 

Nino: I’m glad you remembered the code to get into my phone! There’s an akuma that swaps people with the last person they kissed ;) so you and I are body swapped 

Nino: Marinette? what about you? 

Nino: Mari?

Alya: she might not even be awake babe 

Alya: probably slept right through her alarm 

Adrien: haha yeah that’s very much like mari

Nino: ADRIEN ARE YOU STILL ADRIEN 

Adrien: yes?

Adrien: still me 

Alya: poor lil dude’s a kissin’ virgin 

Adrien: thanks 

Alya: anything for you dude. i love to roast you in the company of our best friends 

Nino: Get to school you guys. There’s some chaos here today. 

Nino: Swapped couples so far are as follows: 

Nino: Rose and Juleka (big shock I know)

Nino: Mylene and Ivan 

Nino: Sabrina… and Chloe 

Adrien: what ??????????????? 

Nino: Nath and Marc

Nino: The rest seem like they have not switched bodies 

Nino: Alix is very aggressively laughing at everyone 

Nino: Apparently, “being asexual has never been so sweet” 

Nino: Now Kim is telling her something very factual about how kissing improves 

Nino: OH MY GOD 

Nino: KIM AND MAX?????????? 

Alya: no way dude i don’t believe you 

Nino: I THINK THEY WERE TRYING TO KEEP IT ON THE DL BUT MAX’S SPEECH PATTERNS JUST CAME OUT OF KIM’S MOUTH 

Alya: so it’s unconfirmed about kim and max

Alya: just to be clear

Nino: aww poor Lila though… She’s just sitting by herself

Adrien: good

Nino: What

Alya: What

Adrien: did i type that out loud 

Adrien: hey i’m almost at school haha see you in a second 

\---

Marinette turned Adrien’s phone on Do Not Disturb hurriedly, leaning back against the headrest in the car with a sigh. She looked up at the Gorilla, still as silent and imposing as ever as he drove her—Adrien? him?—to school. 

The car pulled up against the curb and she jumped out, grabbing Adrien’s book back as she did so. “Thank you,” she said, surprised once again by how deep her voice sounded. 

“Adrien!” she heard a voice say as she closed the car door. Turning, she blinked in surprise to see… herself… running towards her. 

“Marinette,” she said, frozen to her spot as Marinette—or, well, really Adrien—ran up and threw his arms around her. “Hi.”

Adrien pulled back from her and grinned nervously, running his fingers through a pigtail. “It’s good to see you,” he said. 

Marinette nodded slowly, taking in the outfit Adrien was sporting for her. “You didn’t change out of the pajamas,” she said after a moment. “You thought Marinette would wear her pajamas to school?” 

Adrien flushed and crossed his arms over her chest. “I didn’t want to change,” he mumbled, his face bright red as he adjusted Marinette’s bookbag on his shoulder. “I didn’t… I didn’t want to look without permission.”

“Oh.” Marinette frowned. “That was really… polite of you.”

Adrien’s eyes widened, the blue standing out against the red of his face, as he took in Marinette-as-Adrien’s outfit. “You changed, though.”

“Plagg told me to,” Marinette said immediately, pointing towards the bag slung over her shoulder. 

Adrien bit his—her—his—lip. 

Ugh, this was confusing. 

“So… we should probably talk about that at some point,” Adrien said after a moment’s silence. 

“Maybe not until we defeat the akuma,” Marinette whispered. 

Adrien nodded, his pigtails bouncing. 

“Also, just so you know, I’ve been texting as you in the group chat and they think that you and I are still in our original bodies,” Marinette hissed at him as she took in Alya and Nino’s quickly approaching bodies. 

“Oh,” Adrien said, surprise evident on his face. “Okay.”

“Great.” Marinette plastered a smile on her face as she turned. “Hey,” she said easily, glancing between Alya and Nino. “Nino?” 

“Hey, dude,” Nino-in-Alya’s-body said, reaching out his fist to give Adrien a fist pound. 

Marinette happily obliged. “Hey, dude,” she said back, feeling a sudden urge to giggle uncontrollably. 

“You should come check out the class,” Alya-in-Nino’s-body said. It was odd to see Nino’s face so excited—Marinette hadn’t seen Nino break his ‘chill layer’ in a long time. “It’s very silly. I love it.” 

Marinette watched as Adrien smiled, her mouth stretched almost unnaturally. 

“I do love silly things,” Adrien said. 

Nino-in-Alya’s-body blinked. “You do?”

Adrien jumped, eyes widening. “Oh! Well… yes, sometimes.”

Alya laughed, a deep, throaty laugh. “Mari,” she said, “come on.” 

With that, Nino’s fingers closed over Marinette’s wrist, dragging Adrien away without another word. 

“Oh, god,” Marinette whispered as she watched her body get dragged away, no doubt to be interrogated by Alya. 

Who believed that Marinette had kissed someone before. 

Oh, this was bad. 

“Sorry, Adrien,” she whispered, watching her body get dragged out of sight. “Good luck.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ngl, i wanted to create this post so i could do another group text fic
> 
> up next: watch as adrien has no clue how to handle alya's interrogation, marinette watches as the class descends into chaos, and ms. bustier just...gives up.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> alya drags an explanation from her "best friend". people have theories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry, this fic got away from me a bit! life got crazy. but here's another strange, silly chapter for you all.

“Okay,” Alya said, jutting her hip out and narrowing her eyes. 

Adrien fought the strong urge to laugh at Nino’s body doing Alya’s body language. “Yes?” 

“So.” Alya drummed her fingers on her arm. “You’re either a terrible friend or you’re not Marinette. Correct?” 

“Uh…” 

“Because Marinette told me that she’s kissed someone before,” Alya continued, adjusting Nino’s glasses on her nose. “And Marinette wouldn’t lie about that. Right?”

“I don’t know what to say,” Adrien said after a moment. 

“Because you’re not Marinette,” Alya said. 

“Who did… I… say… that I kissed?” 

Alya smirked, a terrifying look. “You didn’t. Which you would know if you were Marinette. So. Who are you? Who has my bestie kissed and never told me about?” 

Adrien gaped at her. “Wait, Marinette said she kissed someone and didn’t say who it was?” 

“Aha!” 

“You basically already knew,” Adrien said, rolling his eyes. “You can’t be that excited that you caught me out here.” 

“Yes, but I didn’t have any confirmation,” Alya said. “And now I know. So. Who are you really, fake-Marinette Dupain-Cheng?” 

Adrien shrugged. “Who do you think I am?” 

“I don’t know. Who are you?” 

They stared at each other: unstoppable force meets immovable object. 

“Ugh,” Alya said after a long minute of them looking into each other’s eyes, “I bet Marinette didn’t tell me the name of whoever she kissed because he was just so annoying.” She paused. “He?”

Adrien figured he might as well confirm that. “Yeah, he.”

“Ah. So you’re annoying,” Alya said. Shifting Nino’s baseball cap on her head, she shrugged. “Whatever. I’ll get who you are out of you eventually. Just tell me this: is my bestie safe?” 

“Is she safe?” Adrien asked, affronted. 

“Yeah. I mean, in whatever body she’s currently occupying. Is she in a good part of Paris?” 

“What kind of boys do you think Marinette is going around and kissing?” 

“Well, she won’t tell me who it is, so…” Alya’s voice trailed off decisively as she narrowed her eyes at him.

“True,” Adrien said. “Yeah, she’s safe.” He smiled slightly. 

“Good. Then let’s go to class. Might as well take really good notes for her,” Alya said, reaching out and grabbing the sleeve of Marinette’s pajamas, dragging Adrien along without another word. 

And he went willingly. Might as well not increase Alya’s wrath where he could. 

\---

“What is happening?” “Adrien” asked Alix as Marinette stepped into the classroom, followed by Alya’s body (read: Nino). 

Alix laughed and tousled Adrien’s hair. “Hello, Agreste,” she said cheerfully. “I’m sure you know about the akuma by now.”

Marinette nodded silently. 

“Well, everybody is fighting.”

She could see that. 

Rose—or, well, Juleka—was standing on top of a desk, brandishing a ruler at Max (or, if Alya was to be believed, Kim), who was sitting on Sabrina—or Chloe-in-Sabrina’s-body—who was flailing, trying to kick anybody in reach. Ivan-in-Mylene’s-body was trying to help, but was much shorter than he was used to being, and was just getting kicked in the head before attempting to help again. Rose and Mylene were standing in the corner, laughing. It was strange to see Juleka’s and Ivan’s bodies laughing together, but… Marinette kind of liked it. 

And the crown jewel? Lila was sitting in the back row, rolling her eyes at everything, telling anybody who would listen (nobody) that she wasn’t affected by the akuma simply because she reinforced her bedroom with akuma-proof materials (not an actual thing). 

Oh, Marinette enjoyed this. 

“What would Adrien do?” she whispered to herself, almost silently, before just taking a seat at Adrien’s desk. 

The door opened and “Marinette and Nino” walked in. 

“Alya!” Kim yelled from atop his Chloe perch. He adjusted Max’s thick dark frames. “Did you see that the mayor got swapped with someone who wasn’t his wife?” 

Alya gasped and came over immediately. “Dude!” she exclaimed before wrinkling her nose and shooting a disgusted look towards Nino. “You have me talking like you now.” 

Nino-in-Alya’s-body shrugged. “Sorry, dude.”

“That’s crazy, though,” Alya said, focusing back on Kim. 

“It’s horrible,” Chloe said, her voice sounding weird and high pitched, even for Sabrina’s body. “My family’s dirty laundry is out for everybody to see. Max, get off me!”

Marinette almost burst into laughter at the look on Kim’s face. “Sure,” he said after a moment. “Sure, Max will get off you.” He stood slowly, letting Chloe up. 

“Attention, students,” came the voice of Ms. Bustier. 

Marinette turned, acting like Adrien’s usual attentive self, and smiled. “Good morning, Ms. Bustier,” she said politely. 

Ms. Bustier sighed and sat down. “Good morning,” she said slowly. 

Marinette looked at her classmates in confusion as they all took their seats. 

“There was an akuma,” Alya blurted out, sliding into Nino’s regular seat next to Adrien. “It swapped all our bodies. I’m Alya.” 

Nino did finger guns at Ms. Bustier. “I’m Nino, dude.” 

Ms. Bustier sighed again. “Nice to meet you,” she mumbled, placing her chin on her hands. “I’m Jeffrey. I live in England and your teacher and I swapped.” 

Everyone was silent for a moment. 

“I moved away from France to get away from the akumas,” she—Jeffrey—continued. “Why does Hawkmoth insist on torturing me so?” With a groan, he dropped his head to the desk, ignoring the class. 

Suddenly, the class erupted into a chorus of voices, everyone trying to talk over one another. 

Alya whipped around in her seat and whispered, “That means Hawkmoth’s range is going to England! Doesn’t it?” 

“Or because it affected Ms. Bustier here in Paris, it affected Jeffrey, as well, even if he was out of range,” Marinette’s (Adrien’s) voice piped up. 

“Dude,” Nino said, glancing at his seatmate in surprise. 

“What?” Adrien asked after a moment. 

“You’ve never cared about akuma attacks before,” Marinette said from her spot in the front, desperately hoping he understood her. “It’s just surprising to hear you talk about it, Marinette.” 

Adrien blinked at her for a moment before jolting upright, nodding. “Oh! Oh, right. Well, this one pretty definitely affects me, so I thought I should probably care about it.” He laughed weakly, twirling one of Marinette’s pigtails nervously. “I didn’t realize it would be a big deal.” 

Alya narrowed her eyes, adjusting Nino’s hat on her head. “Yeah, it’s a little weird,” she said, a smug smile slipping onto her face. “Marinette.”

Nino was quiet, looking back and forth between his own face and Marinette’s, before sighing. “There’s some weird energy coming from you dudes right now,” he said. “I’m going to listen to music.”

And with that, he pulled headphones from his bag and ignored his friends. It was getting a little too strange for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a note: i have no idea where this fic is going anymore. :) :) :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> we check in on the agreste household before returning to our heroes.

“Gabriel,” Nathalie said very calmly, adjusting the ridiculously thick glasses that Mr. Agreste needed to wear every day in order to see anything. “You need to calm down.”

Gabriel was currently lying on the ground in corpse pose, staring at the ceiling with a vacant expression on his face. Nathalie’s red streak was lying across his forehead like a limp rag. It was incredibly disconcerting. 

“Really, sir,” Nathalie added, attempting to pitch her—Gabriel’s—voice deeper. “Just because you lost control of the akuma and didn’t realize it would also affect you should not mean you must lie on the ground and bemoan all of your troubles.”

“I’ve ruined everything,” Gabriel said, his voice weirdly high-pitched—even higher pitched than Nathalie’s usually was. “I’m the monster of Paris and I’ve ruined everything.”

Nathalie felt her mouth twitch as she came dangerously close to smiling. “No, sir, you just failed this experiment.”

He groaned, closing his eyes without moving any other part of his body. “I’m a failure and a monster and I’ve ruined everything.”

Nathalie turned around for a moment and smiled, willing herself not to laugh. “I’m going back to your office to try to get some work done. Maybe transform and see if you can’t get control of the akuma again?” 

There was a long, drawn out sigh behind her. “Fine,” Gabriel said petulantly. 

“Perfect. Come see me after you’ve actually put an effort into convincing the akuma to switch everyone back.” With that, she walked briskly to Gabriel’s office. 

Someone had to get some work done today. 

\---

“Nathalie,” came her own voice after roughly an hour. 

Nathalie looked up from her—Gabriel’s—paper, blinking in surprise to see Gabriel standing above her. “Oh, hello, sir,” she said, running her hand through the white-blond hair atop her head. “Any progress?” 

“Well, you are still in my body, so…” With a sigh, Gabriel sat down in the chair across from Nathalie. “This chair is highly uncomfortable.”

“Yes, you asked that I order an uncomfortable set of chairs so people would not want to visit long,” Nathalie said primly, stacking Gabriel’s papers in a neat pile. “What can I do for you, sir?” 

“Keep doing my work and pretending everything is fine, I guess,” Gabriel muttered. He crossed his legs and grimaced. “Nathalie, how do you do anything in this body?” 

Narrowing her eyes, Nathalie stood. “I suggest you leave before saying anything offensive.”

Rolling his eyes, Gabriel stood and walked to the door, muttering, “I’m just not used to my thighs touching, that’s all.”

She rolled her own eyes as soon as the door closed. “Ridiculous,” she said out loud to herself. “Utterly ridiculous.” 

\---

Marinette plopped down in the seat across from Adrien. Or, well, herself. Well, Adrien as herself. “Ugh,” she groaned, rolling her head around. “Why is your neck so tense?” 

“Because every day is a living nightmare,” Adrien said cheerfully, flipping his ponytails over his shoulder as he ate his soup quickly and efficiently. “Why does your back actually feel like it’s about to break?” 

“I carry the weight of the freaking world on my shoulders,” Marinette grumbled. She pulled Adrien’s food out from his lunchbox and raised an eyebrow at him. “I’m not going to eat this.”

He blinked at her. “You have to. If you eat anything else, my nutritionist will kill me.”

“Not my problem,” Marinette said. She put the lunchbox down. “Want to go to my parents’ house and get some pastries?”

“Yes,” he said immediately. “My nutritionist doesn’t need to know, I guess.”

Marinette laughed as the two of them stood. “Your nutritionist doesn’t know about all of the extra-curricular activities, Kitty,” she whispered, throwing him a teasing glance as they walked towards the door. 

“Hey,” Alya said, stepping in their path and grinning, Nino in tow. “Where are you two going?” 

“Oh, we’re just going to Marinette’s house,” Marinette said casually, tossing her blond hair, hoping that was a normal thing for Adrien to do. “For a quick lunch.”

“Why?” Alya asked. She crossed her arms over her chest and raised her eyebrows before rolling her eyes and looking at Nino. “You can’t raise one eyebrow?” 

He shrugged. “Can you?” 

Adrien bit his lip as he watched Nino try to just raise one eyebrow and succeed, probably for the first time ever. 

“Why?” Alya asked again. “Why not just stay here and eat lunch here? Or, better yet, why not take us? Your two best friends?” 

Adrien didn’t like that look on her face, and he definitely didn’t like that look on Nino’s face. It was creepy. 

“Well, Marinette and I were just feeling a little weird about not having switched with someone,” Marinette said, “and thought we would take a break from it, so we’re heading home really quickly.”

Adrien froze as he glanced at Alya. 

“You’re…” Alya paused and flicked her eyes over to Marinette’s body before walking up close to Adrien’s body. “Marinette?” she hissed. 

“What?” Marinette asked, taking a step back. “No. I’m Adrien!” Her eyes were wide open in panic as she glanced around the room desperately.

“No,” Alya insisted, “I know for a fact that this is not Marinette,” she pointed at Adrien, “and you just said that you were heading home, to Marinette’s house, so…” 

“Ooh,” Nino said, popping into their field of vision again, “wait, so Marinette,” he pointed at Adrien’s body, “and Adrien?” He pointed at Marinette’s body. 

“Which begs the question,” Alya said slowly, a smile growing across her face. 

Adrien grimaced at the sight of Nino grinning like Alya. Creepy, creepy, creepy!

“When did the two of you kiss?” 

There was silence in the cafeteria for a moment. 

Then pandemonium. 

“You two have kissed?” Sabrina—Chloe—shrieked. 

Suddenly, everyone was yelling. People were craning their necks, trying to see who everyone was talking about. Phones were coming out, pictures were being taken. 

“Why didn’t you tell anyone?” 

“How long have you been keeping your love secret?” 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Alya asked more quietly, looking full into Adrien’s face. 

Marinette broke eye contact with Alya, looking to Adrien desperately. 

He nodded before taking her hand, feeling the cool silver of his ring against his palm, before breaking into a run, knowing that Marinette would be right next to him. 

She always was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i don't like gabriel and i don't like nathalie but everything they do in this chapter is a #mood


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> they talk.

“Hi, kids,” Tom’s voice came from the bakery when the teens burst through the door. 

Marinette turned. “Hi, Dad,” she said wearily. 

Tom beamed. “I’m Mom, actually,” she said. “Hello, my daughter. Hello again, Adrien.”

Marinette froze and looked down at Adrien. “You told them?” she hissed. 

“They just knew!” Adrien whispered back. “I didn’t have any control over the situation.”

Groaning, Marinette walked over to the display case. “Mom,” she said slowly, feeling her brain as it started to melt, “can Adrien and I have some pastries?”

“Are you two going upstairs to talk about how you may have been kissing, in Adrien’s words?” Sabine teased her as she reached into the display case for some pastries, placing an assortment on a plate. “Because I think that might be a good idea. You two should definitely know if you’ve been kissing each other or not. Especially since Marinette, you’ve been in love with Adri—”

“Okay, Mom,” Marinette said, taking the plate and stepping back quickly. “Thanks so much!”

It was a very disconcerting feeling to turn around and see her own eyes shining at her. 

Marinette bit her lip and looked away. “Uh, should we head up?” 

“Sure,” Adrien said breathlessly, motioning for her to lead the way. 

“Thanks,” Marinette said after a moment before climbing up the stairs to her room. Throwing open the trap door, she waited for Adrien to climb into the room before securing the door, sitting on top of it. “I don’t want my parents sneaking up and listening in,” she said, answering his questioning look. “So I’m sitting here.”

Adrien almost laughed before sitting directly across from her. “Okay. Um… I’m sorry. But when did we kiss? Is this about Oblivio?” 

Marinette blinked at him. “Yeah. Remember? You were, like, pumped that we kissed that day.”

“You haven’t kissed anyone since?” 

“No!” Marinette said, drawing back in surprise. “No, of course not.”

Adrien studied her for a moment before nodding. “Okay. Cool.”

“Okay, so, where’s Tikki?” Marinette asked, ignoring the way her body started to wiggle just a little bit as Adrien got excited. “You haven’t been carrying my purse today.”

“I’m here,” Tikki said, floating into view from somewhere else in the room. “Adrien didn’t realize you were Ladybug before he left for school today, and left me behind because of it.”

“I didn’t mean to,” Adrien started to say. 

“It’s fine!” Tikki chirped. “No problem.”

“Okay,” Adrien said after a moment. He grabbed a pastry and started to eat. “Um, where’s Plagg?” 

The tiny black kwami flew out from the inside of Marinette’s shirt and smirked. “Hello, Adrien,” he said, stressing the word Adrien with a grin on his face. “It’s good to see you like this.”

“Like what?” Adrien asked, trying not to feel grumpy all of a sudden. 

“Small and adorable.” Plagg laughed before turning to Marinette. “So, Pigtails. What’s the plan?” 

Marinette shrugged. “I didn’t even hear this akuma last night or anything. I have no idea where we go from here. Tikki?” 

“I think Hawkmoth must have kissed someone in his life,” Tikki said musingly, her paw on her little chin. “So he’s probably lost control of the akuma because he would have switched with whoever he last kissed.”

Adrien made a face. “Ugh,” he said after a moment. “I hate the thought of Hawkmoth having kissed anyone in his life.”

“Well,” Tikki said, resting her paw on his shoulder and smiling softly, “Hawkmoth is only human. He must have relationships and people he cares about.”

“And it would explain the silence,” Marinette added. 

“So are we going to go look for the akuma?” Plagg asked her. 

“I don’t know.” Marinette frowned. “Maybe the akuma will come out at some point. That would be better than having to go look through Paris with a fine-toothed comb.”

“Yeah, but then everyone will be stuck in the bodies they’re in,” Tikki added. “Which might get uncomfortable for some people, especially within the next couple of days…” With a jerk of her head, Tikki turned Marinette’s attention towards her calendar. 

Marinette’s mind was blank for a moment before flushing. “Oh! Oh.”

“What?” Adrien asked, glancing between Tikki and Marinette. “What’s going on?” 

“Nothing,” Marinette muttered. Her face was getting very, very warm.

“No, really, if this is going to affect me, shouldn’t I be prepared for it?” Adrien pressed her. “The way you’re blushing makes me think it’s going to be really bad.” He studied for a moment before turning to Plagg. “Do I really turn that red?” 

“Oh, ho,” Plagg chuckled, “yes, especially when you’re daydreaming about Ladyb—”

Instinctually, Adrien reached up and grabbed Plagg directly out of the air, chuckling nervously. “Ignore him,” he said. “He’s just joking around.”

Tikki giggled. “Marinette, you should warn him if you plan to ignore the akuma until they show up again.”

“Ughhhhhhhh,” Marinette groaned loudly. “Fine. Adrien, my period is in a few days, and—”

“What?!” Adrien exclaimed, sitting bolt upright, letting Plagg go. “It is?” 

“Yes, and you need to know how I handle it,” she continued. “Because I have really bad periods. Alya always tells me that I need to be on some kind of medication for them.”

“What?” he asked again. 

Narrowing her eyes, Marinette turned to Tikki. “Maybe we should intentionally draw the akuma out.”

Tikki laughed again, a tiny, tinkly sound. “That’s a good idea.”

“Yes, I’m all for it,” Adrien agreed, jumping to his feet. “Plagg, claws—” He looked down at his hand and stopped in his tracks. 

Marinette stood up slowly, grinning sheepishly. “Should we do Misterbug and Chat Noire again?” 

He was quiet for a moment. “Or we can just be bodyswapped?” 

“Ugh, this is confusing.” Plagg flew down towards the pastries. “Until you know for sure, I’m going to be eating my fill of the greatest food in Paris. Besides camembert, of course.”

Adrien rolled his eyes. 

Marinette studied Plagg for a moment before smirking. “Plagg, claws out!” 

She laughed as Plagg protested before gasping as she felt the power sweep over her. “Oh, I remember why I liked this feeling so much,” she said, bouncing on the balls of her feet and shaking her head, watching the blond tendrils sweep across her face. “It feels… wild.”

Adrien watched with undisguised amazement on his face. “Y-yeah,” he stammered. “Yeah, it’s a cool feeling.” 

Chat Noir grinned back at him. “Well, suit up. Let’s go get an akuma.”

Adrien nodded, briefly touching the earrings resting in his ears. “Um, okay. Tikki!”

“Yes!” she chirped, flying up in front of his face. 

“Spots on,” he said quietly. 

A flash of pink lit the room. 

Marinette grinned at her newly suited-up partner. “Well, Ladybug,” she said, feeling the urge to tease like Chat Noir would. “Ready or not.”

“Here we go,” Adrien finished. He turned and threw out the yoyo. 

And just like that, they were flying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> asdjfkldkdkd it's much lower drama than a lot of you seemed to think it might be based on your comments but?? that's how i write so... yeah enjoy x


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> everyone has questions. people have ideas. sometimes those ideas don't pan out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gonna admit it, this one got away from me a bit.

“Hey, Mr. Akuma!” Chat Noir called cheerfully as Marinette pole vaulted over a tall building, stopping where she landed. “Come out, come out, wherever you are!” 

“This is weird!” Marinette heard her own voice—Ladybug’s voice—call out from behind her. There was a swishing sound, and then Ladybug fell beside her, shaking the bangs from her—his—eyes. “Do you think the akuma saw us at all?” 

“I don’t know.” Marinette leaned on the baton and looked around at the panoramic view of Paris in front of her. “Maybe they’re bodyswapped, as well.”

“I would think Hawkmoth would guard against that kind of mistake somehow,” Adrien mused, twirling the yoyo in his hands casually as he leaned against Chat Noir. 

Marinette forced herself not to jump. “Well… yeah, I don’t know. I feel like I know nothing.”

“Maybe that’s how Hawkmoth feels right now,” Adrien said, looking up at himself for a moment before looking at Paris again. “Maybe he’s just as confused as we are.”

Marinette sniffed. “I hope so.” 

\---

“Where is the akuma, Nathalie?” Gabriel fumed as he clicked his pen, over and over. “I’m tired of being in this body.” 

“And you want to get the miraculous, of course,” Nathalie said calmly from inside Hawkmoth’s costume, looking out the window towards Paris.

“Oh, yes, of course,” Gabriel said quickly. “It’s just not my… highest priority at the moment. But I assure you, it is up there.” 

“Well, I’ve been searching for him, but I do not know what happened. The emotion is still there, the akuma is still attached, but… but he is not attached.” Nathalie arched an eyebrow before turning back to face Gabriel fully. “Perhaps he has bodyswapped with someone. That would explain the confusion.”

With a growl, Gabriel hit the wall. “Damn it!” he shouted, Nathalie’s glasses going askew on his face. “This is messy. Just release the akuma.”

“But sir, I cannot. I was not Hawkmoth when this akuma was created, therefore, I cannot release it.” Nathalie frowned. “And please do not injure my hand. I need it to do work.”

Gabriel rolled his eyes and straightened the blazer he was wearing. “Fine. Give me the miraculous and I will release the akuma.”

“I’m not sure that will work, either,” Nathalie said, doing her best to remain calm and quiet. “You may have to think of another way.”

“There is no other way, Nathalie!” 

“There always is, sir.” Nathalie paused, releasing the miraculous with just a thought. “Ladybug and Chat Noir always find a fail-safe that helps them defeat the akuma. Maybe we should cut our losses and look for it, as well.”

“What, like, if they kiss again, they’ll change back?” Gabriel asked, sarcasm dripping from his mouth. 

They stopped and stared at each other. 

“Should… we?” Nathalie asked. “That might work.”

Gabriel hesitated. “I’m not sure I want to. It would be like…”

“Like kissing yourself, yes,” she mused, taking her pen from his hand and tapping it against her mouth. “But in the name of science and not being stuck in these bodies forever…”

He winced before nodding. “Please. I want to be myself again.”

“Me, too.” Nathalie took a deep breath before leaning down, close enough to see her own bright eyes flash with uncertainty before… 

A kiss, short, perfunctory, over before Nathalie could even really close her—well, Gabriel’s… well—anyway. It was over and…

“We didn’t change back,” Gabriel said, brushing her bangs out of his eyes. 

Nathalie swallowed a lump of disappointment before nodding. “Well. Then we should figure out another way to get the akuma.”

“Agreed.” 

They both looked at each other for a moment before jolting into motion. 

How incredibly awkward. 

\---

Group Chat: love square 

Nino: I renamed the group chat!! Isn’t it great 

Nino: I saw Ladybug and Chat Noir running around the city during lunch WHICH MEANS 

Nino: EITHER 

Alya: oh god here she goes 

Nino: LADYNOIR IS CANON OR………. THEY’VE NEVER KISSED ANYBODY IN THEIR LIVES EVER WHICH IS IT 

Nino: Where the HEcK are adrienette 

Alya: maybe they’re still talking through whatever they need to talk through 

Alya: chill 

Alya: why are you on your phone during class??

Nino: Better question is… why didn’t we switch back to our phones?? 

Alya: because that phone belongs with my body. nino cannot be seen with alya’s phone 

Nino: Doesn’t make sense 

Nino: Why are you on your phone during class?

Alya: teach is bodyswapped and doesn’t feel like it’s necessary to teach today 

Alya: we’re all just hanging out 

Nino: LUCKY. Our teacher was bodyswapped but she’s insisting on teaching us matrices anyway and I’m so confused, and I think the teacher is, too. She’s clearly not a teacher. 

Nino: If I had to guess, I would guess that she was in the theater arts somehow

Alya: well you’re almost never wrong so i’m betting you’re right 

Adrien: hey this is adrien!

Alya: dude!! welcome!! you’re not in class right now and i’m sad about it 

Adrien: had some stuff to talk about :)

Nino: Are you actually Sunshine or is this Mari still on Adrien’s phone? Because best friend or not, I will end you

Adrien: no, mari went home. this is adrien! 

Nino: Tell me something only Adrien would know. 

Adrien: uhh 

Adrien: oh hmm okay! so

Adrien: ladybug has very light freckles just under the edge of her mask :) 

Alya: asldkgjdlkgkdgjdklj dude 

Adrien: i saw them when she saved me a few months back! 

Nino: I guess Marinette wouldn’t bring that up but… okay

Nino: Did you two have a nice talk? 

Nino: Ready to share with the class?

Adrien: you should probably ask marinette :) i don’t feel like it’s my place to say 

Nino: MARINETTE WHERE ARE YOU 

Alya: dude 

Alya: chill 

Nino: Nino Lahiffe do not tell me to chill this is what I’ve been working towards for literally YEARS now 

Adrien: what

Alya: whoa

Nino: :) what 

\---

[Adrien to Marinette]

Adrien: are you seeing these?

Marinette: i’m……. 

Adrien: why are they like this 

Marinette: they’re our friends i guess 

Marinette: what do we do about the akuma?

Adrien: i guess we just have to wait it out

Marinette: fine. i guess we sleep on it. maybe we’ll have more ideas in the morning?

Adrien: i guess!

Adrien: but for now… you have fencing practice 

Marinette: NO??? i don’t know how to fence!

Adrien: you’re in my body! you’ll be fine! anyway you have to do it or my father will throw a fit 

Adrien: oh god my FATHER do you think he’s…. 

Marinette: ……can i call you

\---

“Okay, so now that we’ve talked about the possibilities of my father and Nathalie finally getting together,” Adrien said, his back hitting Marinette’s bed as he flopped onto her pillows, “can you head to fencing practice?” 

There was a long pause on the other side of the phone. “Are you sure you’re okay with the thought of your father and Nathalie getting together?” 

“Yeah.” Adrien shrugged and stared at the ceiling. “I even encouraged it a few years back. Father yelled at me for forgetting about Mother, but it’s fine.” Tikki flew across his view and he followed the small red bug towards what appeared to be her bed. “Imagine if he hadn’t kissed anyone since Mother, though. Do you think he would have swapped with her body? That would be terrifying.”

Marinette laughed, a weird, deep sound that made Adrien desperately wish they had defeated the akuma and had bodyswapped back. “That would be terrible, yes.” 

They were both quiet, the sound of Marinette’s breathing and the clock ticking the only sounds Adrien heard for a moment. 

“I’m going to come back to my parents house,” Marinette said after a moment. “I don’t feel like fencing. We should look for the akuma more.” 

“Okay,” Adrien said. “No problem. See you in a few?” 

“Yep.”

She hung up and Adrien stared at the phone for a moment. “See you soon, m’lady,” he whispered before dropping the phone on the bed and staring at the ceiling again. A huge, giddy grin filled his face and before he knew it he was… squealing? Squealing seemed the only word appropriate for the sound that was escaping his mouth at the moment. 

He was just so excited. 

Marinette was Ladybug! 

Marinette was Ladybug. 

And if that computer screen down in the main part of her bedroom meant anything… Marinette liked Adrien. 

And Adrien liked Ladybug. 

And Marinette was Ladybug. 

Seemed like everything was coming up Adrien. 

He resolved not to talk about it until after they swapped back, but… this knowledge would keep him happy for a while. 

A tapping at the window above him startled him. He sat up, staring with huge eyes at Chat Noir on the skylight, waving eagerly. 

With a quiet laugh, Adrien stood on the bed, unlatching the skylight, swinging it up with Marinette’s help. 

“Thanks!” she said, dropping into the room, narrowly avoiding landing on the bed. “Should we go patrol the city some more? Maybe cause a ruckus?” 

“Are you playing me?” Adrien asked, a smile creeping onto his face as he jumped off the bed, looking up at Chat’s face. 

“Yes!” Marinette giggled. 

It was oddly endearing. 

“Come on, suit up, let’s get out there!” 

Adrien nodded. “Tikki, spots on!” 

And for the second time that day, they were running.

\---

“I’m sorry we didn’t see anything,” Marinette whispered, her blond head bending closer to Adrien. “Tomorrow we’ll skip school and look for the akuma in more detail. Okay?” 

Adrien nodded. “I sure would love to be me again.”

Marinette laughed softly before turning onto her back. “Yeah. I would like to be me again, too.” 

“What will you do when you’re you again?” Adrien whispered. 

It was quiet for a few minutes. 

Adrien wondered if she had fallen asleep. 

“Adrien,” she finally whispered. 

“Yeah,” he whispered back. 

“The first thing I want to do when I’m me again?”

He just nodded. His heart rate picked up considerably, though he wasn’t sure why. 

“I think I’d like to kiss you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tune in next time to see that this akuma has a fun new quality for when everyone wakes up!
> 
> (gonna be honest, i usually write much more quickly than this, but the pronouns and stuff are HARD so it takes me a while to even feel like i'm in the right headspace for writing a chapter. thanks for being patient!)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> some pretty significant changes happened overnight.

Group Chat: love square

Alya: I’M ME AGAIN 

Nino: whoa this is weird!! 

Alya: What does it MEAN

Alya: I mean, I just woke up, and, poof! Back in Alya’s body, all is right with the world!

Alya: Adrienette, you guys back to normal?

Adrien: mari is still asleep 

Adrien: but no, i’m still in marinette’s body 

Alya: What do you MEAN “mari’s still asleep”????????? 

Alya: Are you with her right now????? 

Adrien: yeah

Alya: daFJDSLKAGJLJKLSJDGKLJDAKLRJKEJGIALSDJJKLGJALF????

Nino: whoa alya that’s a pretty intense keysmash 

Alya: Why??????????? 

Adrien: we were just talking last night and ended up falling asleep 

Adrien: no big deal 

Adrien: why did you two switch back?? 

Alya: I DON’T KNOW 

Alya: WHY ARE YOU SLEEPING WITH MARINETTE 

Adrien: uhhhhhhhh could you have 

Adrien: phrased that 

Adrien: maybe a little bit differently 

Alya: FINE

Alya: I S2G IF YOU DON’T TELL ME RIGHT AWAY WHY YOU ARE IN MARI’S BED I WILL COME DOWN THERE AND SCREAM IN YOUR FACE MYSELF 

Nino: alya. dude. chill. 

Alya: Nino. Do not. Tell me to chill 

Alya: I’m freaking

Alya: loSING MY MIND—

Adrien: she and I were talking last night and fell asleep 

Adrien: that’s it 

Alya: Suspicious!!! 

Adrien: why are you so… idk. invested? 

Alya: WHY AM I SO INVESTED?????? 

Alya: I’m just going to SCREAM 

Nino: i’ll tell you later, dude

Adrien: …. ok

\---

Group Chat: Secret Garden uwu 

Alya: EVERYONE CODE PINK 

Juleka: whoa, what? 

Rose: OMG!!!!!! 

Mylene: aw, wait, isn’t code pink for when Adrienette gets together?

Alix: ooh are they finally hooking up? can we get rid of this group chat now?

Kim: *eyeball emoji* 

Alya: Adrienette have, indeed, bodyswapped, as you all heard yesterday at school, which, yes, that does mean they have kissed at some point and did not tell their best friend, which we will come back to later and…. anyway!! 

Alya: AND NOW 

Alya: THEY ARE IN MARINETTE’S BED BECAUSE THEY TALKED SO LONG LAST NIGHT THAT THEY FELL ASLEEP 

Rose: THAT’S SO CUTE I MIGHT BURST 

Kim: adrien better be good to mari!

Juleka: that’s dope 

Mylene: it sounds like true love to me! 

Alya: Kim, why are you even in this group chat?

Alix: I added him because I needed backup 

Alya: Backup for what???? 

Alix: just generally 

Alya: Whatever, i don’t care, because ADRIENETTE!! THE SHIP HAS SAILED! (somehow)

Juleka: so now what?

Rose: We must get pictures of them!!!! For the wedding!!!!! 

Alix: eh, a little creepy 

Alya: OH YEAH AND 

Alya: NINO AND I ARE BACK IN OUR REGULAR BODIES?????????? 

Alya: Did anyone else switch back? 

Rose: J and I did!

Juleka: *peace sign emoji* 

Alya: Huh. I wonder why!! I need to contact Ladybug and Chat Noir 

Alya: Btw their relationship is next on our list to set up lmao 

Mylene: that sounds fun! only if they both want it, of course! 

Mylene: Ivan and I have not switched back, by the way 

Alya: Weird…… 

Alya: Ok ttyl bye. I have akumas to track 

\---

[Nathalie to Gabriel]

Nathalie: Good morning, sir. 

Nathalie: What do you think caused this change? 

Gabriel: Unsure. Perhaps, without the influence of Hawkmoth, the akuma has decided to be mischievous? 

Gabriel: Regardless, I will transform and take command of the akuma right away. Be prepared to get the… you know.

Nathalie: Right away, sir. 

Gabriel: And Nathalie?

Gabriel: I’m glad you’re you again. 

Nathalie: Likewise. 

\---

Adrien shook Marinette’s shoulder. “Mari,” he whispered, leaning close enough to see his own blond eyelashes flutter slightly. “Wake up. Things are happening.” 

Marinette stirred, stretching slightly as she yawned. “What—” She sat up suddenly. “Oh. It’s the next day.” Shaking her head, blond hair flying around her eyes, she yawned again. “We slept together all night?” 

Adrien felt his cheeks get warm. “Um…”

Sitting up straighter, Marinette flailed her hands. “No, not… I didn’t mean that we slept together, slept together, just that we slept in the same bed… together… all night long…” With a sigh, she flopped back down onto the pillows, covering her face. “Ugh. Sorry.” 

“It’s okay,” he said gently, smiling a little at her embarrassment. “Alya says she and Nino switched back yesterday.” 

Marinette sat up again, cocking her head slightly as she processed his sentence. “They did? What made the difference?” 

“I don’t know,” Adrien said. “I can’t imagine what would have changed some people but not others.” 

“Hmm.” Marinette thought for a moment before swinging her legs off the bed, standing slowly. “Maybe I’ll go check in with my parents. Do you think they’ve switched back?” 

Adrien shrugged helplessly. “What do you think?” 

“I have no idea,” she said. “I guess I’ll go find out.”

“Should I come with you?” 

She shook her head. “No, stay here. I’ll go check and be right back.”

Adrien watched her disappear before leaning back against the bed with a sigh. 

“Weird day, huh?” Plagg asked, floating into view. “Pigtails?” 

With an eyeroll, Adrien turned onto his side. “Why would some people have changed back and others didn’t?” 

“Maybe those people had fully accepted their feelings for each other,” Plagg said. “None of this hiding around, fighting against their feelings nonsense that you and Pigtails love to do.”

Tikki floated into view. “That’s an idea!” she said cheerfully. “Plagg and I have been brainstorming about it for a while. Since the news started announcing people changing back. That’s probably his best idea yet.”

Adrien fumbled for his phone, pulling open a news site as he processed the kwamis’ words. “But Marinette and I basically confessed last night,” he said after a moment, brushing dark hair out of his eyes as Nadja Chamack’s face came up on the screen. “So that wouldn’t make sense.” 

“It was just a thought,” Plagg said. “Don’t shoot the messenger.”

“Shh,” Adrien said, focusing in on the interview. 

“…It seems that the one thing in common with everyone who switched back with their respective person in the last few hours kissed that person yesterday,” Nadja was saying. “Those who did not kiss in the last twenty-four hours have not switched back. It seems that this akuma is incredibly focused on kisses and all things romantic. So if you want your body back, make sure to kiss your person today! Most likely, by tomorrow, you will be returned to normal.” 

She paused for a moment before continuing. “As far as we know, this akuma does not do anything else, so it does not seem to be a major cause for concern. However, we have had several calls from concerned citizens, wondering why exactly it is taking Ladybug and Chat Noir so long to catch this particular akuma. Is it because they have, themselves, swapped bodies? Or is this akuma just particularly slippery?” 

With a groan, Adrien turned off the news clip and rolled onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. “This is too complicated,” he complained. “So Mari and I didn’t switch back because we didn’t kiss yesterday?” 

“What?” 

With a start, Adrien sat up, knocking Marinette’s bedside table over in the process, spilling ribbons and lace all over her floor. Sitting in silence for a moment, he just nodded. “Yep. That’s about right.”

“What’s about right?” Marinette asked. Kneeling down, she immediately began picking up all the stuff on the floor. 

“This day,” he said, sliding off the bed to help. “I guess I’m not used to your body yet and feel a little clumsy.” 

Marinette laughed softly. “I mean, my body is a little clumsy even when I’m the one inhabiting it, so… it’s okay.” Righting the table and putting all the stuff back on top, she placed a hand on Adrien’s arm. “Now. What’s all this about us kissing?” 

Feeling his face heat up, Adrien grabbed his phone and showed Marinette the same news clip that he had just watched. 

“Oh,” Marinette said at the end. Her pale cheeks had become extremely pink, green eyes flashing up to meet his (temporarily) blue ones. “Okay. So, if we still haven’t caught the akuma by tonight, we should…” 

“Kiss each other, I guess,” Adrien finished for her. “If that’s okay.”

She flushed even deeper and looked down at her hands, fiddling with the miraculous ring nervously. “I mean, I wanted our first kiss where both of us were aware and would remember to be… like, in the right bodies, but…”

Warmth blooming in his chest, Adrien reached over, covering her hands with his, and smiled. “I guess that just means we’re going to have to try really hard to catch the akuma today.” 

She met his eyes and nodded. “Yes. Yes, yes, we will.” There was a slight pause where Adrien could feel that she wanted to say something. “My parents have changed back, by the way.” 

“That’s nice,” Adrien said. “They’re nice people.” 

“Yeah, but that means that they were basically kissing… like… themselves.” Marinette made a face. “Ugh, you know what I mean.” 

He laughed softly. “Mari…”

His phone beeped with an alert, startling both of them, their eyes immediately going to the screen. 

Nadja Chamack was there again, a spark in her eyes. “Don’t be bemused, it’s just the news!” she said. “We’re here with a breaking story. For the first time in our city’s brave history in the fight against Hawkmoth, an akuma victim has shown up to tell their side of the story!”

“What,” Marinette whispered, moving closer to the phone. 

“Everyone, please meet Jazmine! She is in her classmate, Tyler’s, body, and she has a story to tell us about how she was akumatized. And Ladybug and Chat Noir, if you’re watching, she is willing to tell you where her akumatized object is!” Nadja beamed at the camera and a young man’s body joined her onscreen. “So, stay tuned as we tell this brave akuma victim’s story!” 

Adrien looked at Marinette. “Shall we?” 

She grinned. “Plagg, claws out!” 

“Spots on!” 

And with a single bound, they were off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *waves sheepishly* hi, everyone. sorry for the wait. honestly, i don't know what to tell you except work is insane and i've been really busy, way too busy to write, and i apologize for that. 
> 
> anyway. i hope you enjoyed this ridiculous chapter. i think this fic is probably winding down, but this chapter did remind me how much i like writing group chats, so..... i might try to come up with more ideas for that kind of fic. we'll see. 
> 
> anyway. catch you later!


End file.
